Towards Responsible Steel: Preliminary Insights

Suzanne Benn, Damien Giurco, Paul James Brown and Renu Agarwal
Additional contact information
Suzanne Benn: UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
Damien Giurco: Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
Paul James Brown: UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
Renu Agarwal: UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia

Resources, 2014, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: This paper examines the structures and processes underpinning the attempt of the Australian steel industry to establish a certification scheme for Responsible Steel. We take it as a case example of how collective action and collaboration along a supply chain has the potential to be a win-win situation for the environment and for the competitiveness of an industry sector. The paper identifies the drivers that have prompted key stakeholders from all major sectors of the Australian steel product life cycle from mining through steel manufacturing, processing, product fabrication, use and re-use, and recycling to collaborate in the establishment of the Steel Stewardship Forum (SSF), the structure established to lead the development of the certification scheme. The development of this initiative is indicative of the wider shift to sustainability-related certification schemes as a means of garnering legitimacy and market advantage and provides detailed insights into both the drivers for and the challenges associated with such initiatives. Findings from the paper contribute to our understanding of the shift to sustainable supply chains as it is interpreted through institutional and institutional entrepreneurship theory.

Keywords: sustainable supply chain; stewardship; institutional theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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